Khoisan People - background

"Khoisan" is a unifying name for two groups of peoples of southern
Africa who currently found in north western South Africa,
southern Namibia and western Botswana,
who share physical and linguistic characteristics distinct from the African
Bantu majority of the region. Culturally, the Khoisan are divided into the
foraging San (or Bushmen) and the pastoral Khoi, or more specifically Khoikhoi
(previously known as Hottentots).

‘San’ as a term came to be used to denote the
hunter-gathering communities who did not speak Khoi languages – known to white
settlers as ‘Bushmen’ - in contradistinction to the Khoi-speaking herders.
However, the term ‘Khoisan’ is a relatively recent invention, coined in 1928 by
Leonard Schultze as a collective category for early hunter-gathering and herding
peoples of southern Africa, and a term which increasingly causes a degree of
tension and controversy. Traditionally, the Khoi Khoi were largely pastoralists,
whilst the San lived primarily off hunter-gathering, and hence the differences
in their livelihoods, culture, languages and identity make for some significant
distinctions between Khoi and San peoples, despite their having some common
ancestry and cultural commonalities. Increasingly, some San communities,
claiming the ultra-marginalisation of their people, even in comparison to the
Khoi Khoi, are beginning to assert a distinct identity, encouraging the use of
‘Khoi and San’ as opposed to ‘Khoisan’ or ‘Khoi-San’ in official references to
these populations. Officially, however, the ‘Khoisan’ as an ethno-linguistic
group remains a recognised identity.

A detailed background and overview of the history of the
Khoisan people can be found
here. Bruce Berry, 29 April 2015

Possible Khoisan flag

The photograph above carries the caption 'Youngsters carry
the flag of the Gorochouqua House for the 2010 restoration ceremony'. This
indicates it could be a flag for the Khoisan as they seek to enhance their
identity.Jason Saber, 19 April 2015